Harmony of Religions- Vedanta Siddhanta Samarasam of Tayumanavar (An Old and Rare Book)

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To be successful, the meeting of religions and inter-religious dialogue need a definite penetration into the depth of the original source. In other words, religions meet, where religions take their foundations. Tayumanavar's call for religious harmony is authentic as it is an appeal to delve into that original vision of the Sacred Scripture and to dwell with the 'seers' of Truth, which alone is the basis for religious encounter. The meeting of religions is not a mere intellectual endeavour, but, a religious experience in itself. It is in this broader and deeper experiential perspective that I see the theme of Vedanta Siddhanta samarasam in the religious poetry of Tayumanavar.

Tayumanavar's perception of the unity of Vedanta and Siddhanta at the point of samarasam is described in this work as 'ecumenical', because the state of samarasam provides a basis for intra-religious understanding and mutual acceptance within the `household' of Hinduism, particularly between saiva Siddhanta and Advaita Vedanta. Etymologically, the term ecumenism is derived from the Greek word oikos meaning 'household' and the term has usually been used to refer to the theological and ecclesiological precepts and doctrines which attempt to re-capture the sense of oneness among Christian Churches. The terms ecumenism and ecumenical are used here in a descriptive sense to mean the spirit of openness which potentially also pro-vides for inclusiveness between religions.

The ecumenical theme of Vedanta Siddhanta samarasam is here studied by way of analyzing Tayumanavar's religious, mystical and philosophical hymns. The first two chapters are introductory. While Chapter One gives a brief biographical account of the poet-saint, Chapter Two examines the political, social and religious situation of Tamil Nadu, and other possible formative factors, which could possibly have influenced the life and thought of the poet-saint. A general analysis of his hymns is made in Chapter Three. Chapters Four and Five deal with Tayumanavar's understanding of Vedanta and Siddhanta. The most important point here is that his understanding of both Vedanta and Siddhanta is based on their original meaning as found in the Sacred Scriptures: the Veda, the Upanisads, the saivasamas and the Tirumurai (mystical and canonical works of saiva Tradition). The way, and the process, which this under-standing of both Vedanta and Siddhanta in the original sense as the personal mystical experience of the 'seers' of Truth leads Tayumanavar to interpret these two well-known traditions in terms of unity-experience which is discussed in Chapter Six. The bringing together of Vedanta and Siddhanta at the converging point of samarasam has vital significance for today's religious traditions. This idea, together with other observations resulting from this research, is spelled out in the concluding section of the work.

This study was made possible through the encouragement and support I received from my Religious Congregation (Carmelites of Mary Immaculate), Kerala, India, and the Diocese of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and my teachers and friends. I would like to express special thanks to my supervisor Professor Krishna Sivaraman, the distinguished scholar of saiva Siddhanta tradition, for sharing his expertise, beliefs and insights, and for generously giving me his time and attention to help complete this work. I am very much thankful to Professor John G. Arapura for his friendly accessibility and scholarly suggestions. A special word of gratitude goes to Professors Paul Younger and Gerard Vallee for their supervisory assistance and constructive comments.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages